Northwest Savings Bank repeats as highest in customer satisfaction

May 3, 2011

By

Becky Polaski

Members of the Northwest Savings Bank office located at 39 S. St. Marys St. are shown with an award from J.D. Power and Associates. Photo by Becky Polaski.

For the second year in a row, Northwest Savings Bank has been honored by J.D. Power and Associates. The bank was recently informed that it has repeated as holding the highest ranking in customer satisfaction for retail banking in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The rankings were recently released by J.D. Power and Associates in the company's 2011 Retail Banking Customer Satisfaction Survey.
The bank's headquarters are located in Warren. It boasts 172 offices throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland and Florida. In addition to the three offices located in St. Marys, the bank also has nearby locations in Johnsonburg, Ridgway, Weedville, Kane and Emporium.
Northwest Saving Bank Senior Vice President and District Manager Donald P. Valone remarked that while the voting was very close this year, Northwest Savings Bank still was able to take first place.
"I'm glad our customers like us," Valone said. "We always go the extra mile to make them happy."
According to a release issued by Northwest Savings Bank, the study, which was conducted earlier this year by J.D. Power and Associates, "analyzes overall customer satisfaction with their retail banking experience based on six factors: account activities, account information, facility, fees, problem resolution, and product offering. Northwest received the highest satisfaction score in the Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C."
Valone further explained that the survey is typically conducted through a calling program.
"They randomly call people and ask them questions. They do it from J.D. Power, explain that they're doing a survey, and ask people how they feel about different categories. I've never been picked myself to do the survey," Valone said.
Once all of the information is compiled, J.D. Power and Associates determines how companies rank compared to their competitors.